High-hazard facility wages

AN ACT Relating to wages for journeypersons in high-hazard 1
facilities; amending RCW 49.80.010; and providing an effective date.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 49.80.010 and 2019 c 306 s 1 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 6
unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 7
(1) "Apprenticeable occupation" means an occupation for which an 8
apprenticeship program has been approved by the Washington state 9
apprenticeship and training council pursuant to chapter 49.04 RCW.10
(2) "Department" means the department of labor and industries.11
(3) "On-site work" does not include ship and rail car support 12
activities; environmental inspection and testing; security guard 13
services; work which is performed by an original equipment 14
manufacturer for warranty, repair, or maintenance on the vendor's 15
equipment if required by the original equipment manufacturer's 16
warranty agreement between the original equipment manufacturer and 17
the owner; industrial cleaning not related to construction; safety 18
services requiring professional safety certification; nonconstruction 19
catalyst loading, regeneration, and removal; chemical purging and 20
cleaning; refinery by-product separation and recovery; inspection 21
S-0478.1
SENATE BILL 5447
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Saldaña, Hasegawa, Nobles, Stanford, and Valdez
Read first time 01/23/25. Referred to Committee on Labor & Commerce.
p. 1 SB 5447
services not related to construction; and work performed that is not 1
in an apprenticeable occupation. 2
(4) "Prevailing ((hourly wage )) rate of wage " has the same 3
meaning as provided ((for "prevailing rate of wage" )) in RCW 4
39.12.010. 5
(5) "Registered apprentice" means an apprentice registered in an 6
apprenticeship program approved by the Washington state 7
apprenticeship and training council according to chapter 49.04 RCW.8
(6) "Skilled and trained workforce" means a workforce that meets 9
both of the following criteria: 10
(a) All the workers are either registered apprentices or skilled 11
journeypersons; and 12
(b) The workforce meets the apprenticeship graduation and 13
approved advanced safety training requirements established in RCW 14
49.80.030. 15
(7) "Skilled journeyperson" means a worker who meets all of the 16
following criteria: 17
(a) The worker either graduated from an apprenticeship program 18
for the applicable occupation that was approved by the Washington 19
state apprenticeship and training council according to chapter 49.04 20
RCW, or has at least as many hours of on-the-job experience in the 21
applicable occupation that would be required to graduate from an 22
apprenticeship program approved by the Washington state 23
apprenticeship and training council according to chapter 49.04 RCW; 24
and 25
(b) The worker is being paid at least a rate ((commensurate with 26
the wages typically paid for the occupation in the applicable 27
geographic area, subject to the following provisions:28
(i) The prevailing wage rate paid for a worker in the applicable 29
occupation and geographic area on public works projects may be used 30
to determine the appropriate rate of pay, however, this subsection 31
(7)(b) does not require a contractor to pay prevailing wage rates; 32
and33
(ii) In no case may the worker be paid at a rate less than an 34
hourly rate consistent with the seventy-fifth percentile in the 35
applicable occupation and geographic area in the most recent 36
occupational employment statistics published by the employment 37
security department)) consistent with the prevailing rate of wage for 38
a worker in the applicable occupation and geographic area.39
p. 2 SB 5447
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act takes effect January 1, 2026.1
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p. 3 SB 5447